Welding equipment is commonly used for the manufacture and fabrication of a wide variety of metal products. During welding, fumes, soot and sparks are generated, and in order to prevent their excessive build-up in the work area, it is desirable to employ some type of system for removing them from the area and filtering them out of the air before it is recirculated within the manfacturing facility. Filter systems such as this usually provide a flexible hose which is attached to or near the welding gun nozzle, and leads to a filter element and a source of air suction. In this way, fumes, smoke, sparks and other material generated during welding are drawn from the welding area into the flexible hose and to the filter element by the suction source.
Systems of the above type have exhibited two shortcomings in actual practice. First, hot sparks drawn from the welding area which are sucked into the system may be carried all the way to the filter element in which they lodge. Because of the air rapidly moving through the filtration system, these glowing sparks may be "fanned" and thus cause damage to the filter element. This problem is particularly pronounced when the filter element is made of paper, and the hot sparks contacting the paper element cause it to smolder and burn, frequently creating more smoke within the system than does the welding itself. Naturally, if a portion or all of the filter element is destroyed, the air containing the fumes, soot, sparks, and other particles is no longer filtered thus partially defeating the purpose of the system.
Another problem which is commonly associated with the above type of air filtering systems is that the impact of particles, soot, and other material upon the filter element frequently results in the inlet portion of the filter element becoming quickly clogged, thus dramatically decreasing the efficiency of the filter system.
Thus, an arrangement for use with a filtering system of the above type which would act to eliminate the above-described problems would be useful in increasing the efficiency of the systems, and would decrease operational down time of the system so that the maximum filtering and cleaning effect for the air in the welding area could be achieved.